Portkey Travelers: Chamber of Secrets
by alicefiresage
Summary: Alice and Severus are back for another adventure involving the one and only Harry Potter. This time there is something dangerous lurking in the walls of Hogwarts, bringing forth new discoveries and maybe a secret or two.
1. Chapter 1

Lazy summer days can easily be one of the best things a person can look forward to. Not waking up until late in the morning, not having to get dressed unless necessary. Unless of course your husband was trying to get you to wake up when you spent most of the night watching Hannibal Lecter movies and finishing at least three books you had read at the same time. So, when Severus was trying to wake up his wife by nudging her shoulder repeatedly, he should've expected the reaction she gave him. Once Alice had enough of his nudging she grabbed his pillow and slapped him in the face with it. "Leave me be, Severus," she growled.

"Alice, wake up. It is nearly noon," he replied, tossing the pillow back where it belonged.

"Your point? Normally you don't give a rat's ass"

"Yes, well you agreed to go to Diagon Alley with Lucius and Draco"

"Son of a..! That was today?" Alice asked sitting up on her arm, pushing her messy strange colored bangs away from her eyes. Severus nodded in response, causing her to groan. Mixing a large book hangover with shopping that was not for more books to read was not how she planned to spend the day. Of course she had to finish three books and four movies before a shopping trip. Maybe she could go to Hastings later and add to her "To Read" pile.

Slipping out of bed, she went and got ready for the day, making a bit of food afterwards, then headed to Malfoy Manor. Once she got there, She spelled away the ashes before Draco came running up to her, pretty excited. Alice laughed at this, the boy was hardly ever excited like this. "Alice, guess what? Father said that he would take me to Knockturn Alley today, so I could see what it is like," Draco told her.

Alice's eyes flew to Lucius, "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Lucius told him," I told him I would. As long as he touches nothing in the shop,"

"Well have fun with that. I'll meet you guys somewhere then. The magical Menagerie," Alice responded, before heading to the fireplace and to Diagon Alley.

Once there she made sure the pair both came out of the Floo before heading to the pet shop. Over the summer, she and her cousins decided it was about time they started getting owls to send to each other. She walked in and was surprised to find how many animals were in there since she last stepped foot in the shop. There was definitely more than the standard animals students used.

Alice wandered around for a bit, looking at the different types of owls. She couldn't figure out which one, but she knew one thing was for certain. She was not getting a Snowy Owl. Harry already had one of those, but she still wanted something different. It was when she made the next turn of her head that she saw a simple, yet elegant Barn Owl. Alice knew there weren't many, if any, Barn Owls at the school, plus it would help her grandfather better than the cats back home, so she figure it was perfect.

She went to the shop owner and asked how much it was, thankfully he wasn't a lot. He was placed in a cage and under a harmless sleeping spell that would make it easier for him to travel with.

Alice was out in almost no time, and saw Lucius and Draco coming towards her. "An owl? After all these years?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, shut up," was her response "Bookstore first? Draco just ran in there,"

Lucius nodded since he saw it happen, but when they got in there, Draco was already starting trouble with the Weasley family, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. Alice rubbed the bridge of her nose in annoyance. Not even the beginning of the school year and she was ready to smack her godson upside the head. She listened as Lucius backed his son, grinning at the pair. They may act like arrogant men but she knew that it was all an act. You had to really know the Malfoy's to know how they were.

It was when Arthur came up that things got a bit ugly. He made a snide comment about Arthur's family sinking no lower when Arthur attacked him. A fight broke out but it was impossible to pry the two apart. Unless you're Hagrid, then it's almost as if it were a stripping a piece of velcro. Arthur had a split lip while Lucius would be sporting a black eye soon from the encyclopedia he had been hit with. Lucius ended that confrontation quickly, thrusting Ginny Weasley's Transfiguration book that was in hs hand back at her, and left with Draco. Alice stayed behind to make sure Arthur was alright before catching up with the pair.

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AN: Short, but it gets the story started. Hope you guys will enjoy the third installment of my Portkey Travelers series. well Traveler i guess.


	2. Chapter 2

Portkey Travelers: Chapter 2

When the trio returned to Malfoy manor, they managed to get by Narcissa without her seeing what happened to Lucius, but they didn't get by Abraxas. He was honestly shocked to find out what happened in the bookstore. He couldn't believe that his own son was fighting like a muggle. It was more or less expected from Alice, but that was how she was raised, of sorts. But he was still a Malfoy, which meant he kept his cool.

Thankfully, for everyone in the house who knew how bad Narcissa could get when something happened to either her son or her husband, Alice managed to make it look as if nothing had happened. They weren't going to lie and say nothing happened if she asked, but it would bring her worries down a lot more.

Right then, Severus appeared in the fireplace, looking at Alice strangely from the way she was holding Lucius' face in her right hand, wand in her left. "Severus, it's not what you think, he has a busted lip from a fight," Alice said without looking away. Severus looked over at Abraxas for some sort of explanation.

"He got into a fight in Diagon Alley, from what I heard," Abraxas told him.

"With Arthur Weasley. no surprise there," Alice said, letting go of Lucius' chin, sitting back on the couch. Lucius opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but shut it instead. She did have a bit of a point, the Malfoy and Weasley families did fight quite a bit. Severus sighed as he took a seat next to his wife on the couch.

"You'll never believe who got the position for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post this year," Lucius remarked, pouring a few glasses of brandy before levitating them to their respectable person.

"Someone who can actually handle the Dark Arts?" Severus responded, causing Alice to choke on her drink from trying to laugh.

"Gilderoy Lockhart,"

"That publicity seeking, attention whore? Why on earth would Albus hire someone like him?"

"I heard he was the only one that applied for the job," Abraxas commented.

"Really? The job isn't cursed," Alice facepalmed.

"People obviously think so,"

"People are obviously idiots. Why can't we have a competent person teach for once, like Stephen King,"

"Alice, are you on a Stephen King kick again?" Narcissa asked from the doorway, as Draco ran over to hug his godfather.

"Yes, and I don't care how much it pisses off Severus,"

"Obviously," Severus muttered.

"Shut up, it's not like lim making you watch Rob Zombie movies as well as Stephen King,"

"No one needs that many nightmares,"

"You cannot handle your horror," Alice muttered, causing their friends to laugh in response. Watching Severus and Alice argue was always amusing for the air, knowing they probably acted the same way on some days. Abraxas found it hilarious that they argued over simple muggle things.

The adults continued to talk for a few more hours while Draco managed to find ways to entertain himself. It wasn't until it was nearly dinner time that Alice and Severus decided to go home. They still needed to get a few things ready for the school year, and Alice was fairly certain there was a staff meeting either in the morning or the day after. So, they said their good byes, promising to come back by before the school year started, and went home.

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Alice was right about the staff meeting the next day, and she really didn't want to get up for it. Then again, she was on break and didn't want to get up for anything. Dressed in her usual red button up and dark jeans, she went to the beginning of the year staff meeting with Severus.

Once she was there, she enveloped Minerva in one of Alice's famous bear hugs. The older woman was certainly glad to see her former student after the break. Of course Alice didn't leave Poppy out once the mediwitch got there. Severus sat in is usual spot in the teachers lounge, wondering where she suddenly got this much energy and hoped to everything that he was not next in the list of people she hugged.

Slowly, but steadily the other teachers streamed in, some chatting away in pairs, the others on their own. Soon their was only two people missing, Lockhart, and Albus. Albus would arrive at any second, so no one was extremely concerned, but people were honestly a bit worried about if Lockhart was going to show up. The simply did not think there was enough time to find a replacement if he did not show up. No one thought he was smart enough to teach the job, but there was nothing else they could do.

Just as Alice was telling Minerva and Poppy about the Malfoy and Weasley brawl in Diagon Alley, Albus showed up. Alice told the ladies she would finish the story later. Unfortunately, Lockhart came trailing in after Albus, apologizing for some nonsense about his fans and fame. The teachers ignored him, until he strode up behind Alice, flashing that "brilliant" grin of his. Minerva kept an eye on Severus, while Poppy watched Alice's reaction.

Lockhart foolishly, leaned on the corner of her chair, bending so that they were at eye level. Minerva watched as Severus sat up a bit straighter, his hand slowly reaching for his wand in its holster. Either Lockhart was about to get punched, hexed, or both for flirting with Alice. Minerva and Poppy were both curious as to what would happen.

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AN: I feel so horrid for not updating, but the good news is that I got my own laptop for Christmas and I love it! I can actually update and type different stories/ one-shots now! YES! So, I hope those of you who are still reading enjoyed this and I will hopefully update soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Nearly everyone was silent, watching the famous wizard interact with the married woman. Her short temper was infamous in Hogwarts over the years. But this was different than other times that her temper flared. She was oddly calm about this, which meant there needed to be a distraction soon, or Madame Pomfrey would have her first patient of the year. "Severus, put your wand away. You and I aren't allowed to hit girls," Alice said with a straight face.

"That's a man, Alice," Severus responded.

"Really? I couldn't tell with all the hair,"

The teachers laughed, unsurprised she had shot him down before he could even say a word. Severus smirked at the look on his face, as he put his wand away. His jealousy flared up for nothing, not with this idiot.

Dumbledore got the meeting on the way, which was a it hard to do with Gilderoy making more comments than Alice's smart remarks. Finally, after deciding she had better things to waste her time with than this bumbling idiot, Minerva cast a silencing spell towards him.

Once the meeting was done and over, Severus was pretty sure that he had only ever seen his wife move as quickly as she did when there was a bookshop. This year would be a long and interesting one.

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The Hogwarts beginning of the year feasts were always amazing. It seemed like the House Elves managed to out do themselves every year. But this year, not even Severus was enjoying it. He was on the watch for the two Gryffindors who decided to fly a car to school. A blue Ford Anglia, that Arthur apparently owned. Well that wasn't much of a surprise when it came to his love of muggles.

Honestly, Alice wasn't sure what was scarier. The extremely happy look on his face when he came to get Minerva and Dumbledore, or the absolutly livid one when he returned for desert.

Once they returned to their room, however, Alice shut the door and leaned against it.

"Care to explain dinner?" she asked, eyebrow raised, throwing her red cloak onto the nearest hanger.

"What do you mean?" Severus replied, pouring a drink of firewhiskey, even though it was probably too early in the year.

"Oh don't pull that. You damn well what. One second you look like a kid in a candy shop, the next, Christmas is canceled,"

"Potter and Weasley are what. You didn't see this evening's paper?"

"What the- I don't look at the _morning_ paper, you know that. What'd they do?" Alice exclaimed

"They flew a car across the country, were seen by no less than seven muggles, then into the Whomping Willow- and why are you laughing!?"

Alice couldn't help herself, the whole story sounded totally possible yet ridiculous. Once she heard about the Whomping Willow part, she lost it. Making her way to the couch, she flopped onto, legs dangling off the arm and hair splayed out, it trying to form a sentence. All that came out were gasped versions of "they".

"How are you finding this so funny?" Severus asked.

"A car into the Whomping Willow, Severus," she said inbetween giggles, "That damn thing was planted in our first year,"

"You know why-"

"Yeah, yeah, Lupin and that junk. But honestly, how you _not_ see a tree that big?"

That's when he realized that why was Alice found the whole situation hilarious. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, sitting across from his wife. "What happened with Minerva and Dumbledore?" Alice asked one she calmed down, and finally sat upright.

"The got off with simple detentions, and notifying their families, when they should've been expelled if not worse. If it had been us, it would be worse,"

"We're not Gryffindors, we would've had a better solution,"

"True, but this whole thing is far too minimal for my liking,"

"Well, at least there's Lockhart to beat your frustrations out on,"

"Alice, no. You know we can't," Severus said as they got ready for bed. Not like she would actually listen. There would probably come a point in time where one of the two finally had enough of the fool to hex him or throw a fist into his "perfect" teeth. But for now, they would deal with it, as best as they could.

"Just one or two punches? I'll use a memory charm and hide the bruises," Alice asked as she looked over from her book. All she could see was Severus' pale back but se could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"No, we're adults and more mature than that," he replied.

"You are I'm not. I can just get away with it,"

"...Go to bed,"

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**AN: HOLY CRAP! I FEEL HORRIBLE FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER! I've had writer's block for this story for the longest time and I can only hope that you guys forgive me. Hopefully I know where I'm going with this. Hope you guys like it! Sorry about the weird formatting, my computer was acting up.**


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning was spent trying to avoid Lockhart and readjust to the schedule, but mostly avoiding Lockhart. Oh how Alice wished to be back home, away from this idiot who constantly tested her temper. Thankfully, it was only through breakfast that he stuck around. Although, Alice did have a suspicion that if it weren't for Severus' hex flying by his head, it my have been longer.

Of course the morning's short peace wasn't meant to last long, as the mail came in. She hadn't been paying too much attention, since it was too early in the school year for anything to be sent to her, however that may have been a foolish idea. Mrs. Weasley had sent her son a howler.

"RONALD WEASLEY!-"

Almost the entire room had visibly jumped, and several people were wide eyed.

"_— STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE —_"

Alice had both her good and bad ear covered, yet she could still hear Molly's yelling

"_— LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED —_"

She wasn't the only one, several other students and teachers were doing the same.

"— ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED — YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME.

By the end, there was almost a dead silence in the room. Then, slowly but surely everything went back to normal. A howler was nothing to mess with, and it certainly wasn't the first to happen in Hogwarts.

Decided this was probably the best time to go get ready, Alice stood and left for her class room, red cloak and hair billowing much like her husband's. Once she got there, she realized Potter and Weasley were in her classes that day. Finally she could get the real story from who actually did it.

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Just after the bell rang, Alice held the two back a bit. "Potter, Weasley," she called.

Both of them returned, unsure of what they did. "Yes professor?" Ron asked.

Alice leaned against her desk, arms folded, "Alright, I want the whole story. From the train station, to Snape's office, in detail,"

"Well, you see, we were going to barely get on the train on time, but we were the last to go after my family," Ron started, " But it wouldn't let us through. Some of the people probably thought we were insane for running into a pillar like that. We thought my parents wouldn't be able to get back out, so once Harry suggested we go wait by the car I thought we could fly it here,"

Alice listened carefully to what the boys said, taking in the details. Once they were finished, however, there was still one thing she didn't understand. How they crashed into the Whomping Willow. "I understand everything... except for how you crashed into the Willow," she told them.

"Oh, something was probably wrong with the car itself, we think. Honestly, we're not sure," Harry told her.

Alice was laughing again, it made much more since, "So, now there's a car on the loose in the Forbiden Forrest?"

"...yes,'

"I have every right to use that simple piece of information against Professor Snape this year. But for now, I need to get you two to your next class,"

Alice wrote both of them notes, explaining why they were late for their next classes, then realizing as they left, she didn't have another class for a while. Deciding there was no better time to do this, she went to her private rooms that were connected to her office. She could've easily gotten rid of them, since all teachers had them, but chose not to. She and Severus still fought from time to time, and even when things were good, it was nice to go to her own little private library and get away.

it was like a small apartment, with its own kitchen, living room, and bedroom. The furnashings were simple, comfortable, and gave it a cozy feel. There were still the random muggle memoribila that sat around but it was hers. Of course, none of her things actually stayed here over the summer. Alice didn't want to just leave everything over the summer. So, she had a bag expanded on the inside and transfered evérything at the beginning and end of the year.

This year, she had done it the day before the feast, making a simple job of it. She knew right where her Stephen King books were and exactly which one she would reread, _Christine._ Honestly, it was one of her favorites, and woth the car on the loose, it seemed like a good idea for some strange reason.

Once Severus found out that night, he wasn't a happy person, but said nothing. Simply giving the book a death glare and going back to his own reading.

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**AN: Ok, so not my best, but I'm definitely improving. Hopefully, by the next book (bare minimum) I'll have chapters that are actually decent length. I would've had more of Harry and Ron interaction but it has been a while since I've read/watched anything so I wanted to keep them in character. I'll be working on that now. Hope you Enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5

Class the next morning was going to be an interesting affair. Last night Lockhart had been talking to anyone who would listen, at the teacher's table, that he had straightened out Potter's thoughts of fame while he was young. Honestly, she thought it was more of a competition thing, one that really shouldn't have been happening. Groaning quietly, she wondered how somethng like this was even possilble, though it shouldn not have been a shock.

Wondering where Lockhart had managed to catch up with the boy that early in the morning, Listening in just a bit, she found out it was right before herbology, which only meant that he had been bothering Pamona before. Alice snorted quietly at the mere thought of it. just because he can sell lies on paper did not mean he knew everything. She knew the difference between fiction and non-fiction. He wrote enough fiction to have his own genre.

Deciding, she had enough nonsense, that was not from a book, she got up and left. Once she got to her office, she leaned back in her chair before grading some papers. Deciding the room was far too quiet to stay focused for a long period of time, she warded off the door, to keep that moron out, and turned on her record player. She was in the mood for some original heavy metal, she started up some Black Sabbath. War Pigs was the only song out of question at the moment. Nothing would get done, except ten minutes of air guitar and lip syncing.

Nearly an hour later, Alice finished her grading and debated on either reading, or hiding in her office for half an hour and having a jam session. She picked the latter of the two and hightailed it in there, with her book and music.

Not even ten minutes later, her air guitar was going, hips swinging, and War Pigs playing, Severus chose to knock on the door, in the middle of a solo. "Ah, damnit!" Alice practically yelled.

Severus walked in just to see his wife walk across her desk and turn the record player down. "Having fun are we?" he inquired from the doorway.

"Yes, actually, I am," Alice responded, jumping to the floor.

"I swear, I married a teenager in an adult's body,"

Casually scratching her eyebrow with her middle finger, "What, Severus? I thought you had classes until lunch,"

"I can't visit my own wife?"

"Not when I'm listening to Black Sabbath,"

Severus rolled his eyes in response, wondering if his wife would ever grow out of acting like a teenager and into a proper adult. He often wondered if her coma had something to do with the way she acted. Not being in the war for very long might've kept something alive in her something that needed to mature. However, Severus could still remember how excited she got when they first started living together and she heard about White Zombie.

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Severus could practically see the entire house vibrating as he returned from Malfoy Manor. He should've known better than to leave Alice home alone after buying more music. Why her uncle decided to give them a gigantic stero system for a wedding present was beyond him. There were days that she had it up so loud the house shook.

Once he walked inside however he couldn't help but grin. Alice stood in the kitchen, drying her nails to some White Zombie music. He had no idea, but she probably had it memorized from this morning. Something about humans was all he could make out. This guy was easily one of the strangest he had heard yet.

Somehow, seeing something so strange like this seemed right. It was something he could get used to even if there was a war going on. They could escape if they wanted to, it wouldn't be too hard, but now wasn't quite the time. There was still some left.

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it was a few days later when Draco finally called someone a mudblood. Both Alice and Severus knew it was inevitable, but they could've hoped that it would have at least been more towards the end of his school career that he did it. He was also lucky that it was Alice who caught him after it happened.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Alice exclaimed, running her hands through her hair. Draco stood in front of her, with a nervous look on his face. He had no idea what was going to happen next. He wasn't nervous about the fact that Alice had alerted his father, but it was more about what would happen when Severus found out about this. Of course Alice wouldn't let that happen. She knew first hand why he hated the word "mudblood"

"You're lucky I ratted you out to your father before Severus caught wind," Alice told him as Lucius walked in. "Can you handle Severus?" He asked, glancing at the door.

"I'm on it, he's probably heard by now,"

She walked to the door and shut it, just in time. Severus was rounding the corner trying to find Draco, he was livid. Without a blink, however, Alice was in front of him with both hands on his chest. "Severus, don't even think about it," She stated calmly, as Severus glared.

"And why not?" he demanded

"Because Lucius and I are taking care of it, and you're far too angry,"

"Well what do you expect?"

"What I expect and what is going to happen, are two _very _different things,"

The look on Severus' face would've almost been priceless, if she hadn't remembered that she was trying to keep his temper under control. "Severus, please," Alice muttered, "You're far too angry, and if you hear him if he says it again, you can deal with it. For now, just go calm down in our quarters. Lucius and I have a handle on this,

Severus looked at her for a moment, before nodding and sweeping off in a flurry of robes. The full moon didn't help his reputation as a bat didn't help anything. He truly did look like one right now.

Just as Alice was pinching the bridge of her nose to keep te headache away, she heard the whispers.

"_Rip...Tear..Kill!"_

Her head shot up in fear, eyes wide behind her glasses. She simply told herself that she did NOT hear that and she had just been reading too much horor again. That was just a voice in her head.

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**AN: so I'm not dead! I kinda forgot what happened, since I've been obsessed with Hannibal and Dragon Ball Z lately. I know the idea is not something you would expect but I made this back in junior high, so I'm keeping it! I hope you all enjoyed and thanks for reading! **


	6. Chapter 6

Voices, that was all that Alice had heard. She was certain of it. At least that was what she had ben telling herself ever since she heard the whispers. Now it was nearing Halloween , and she was finally convincing herself that was what happened.

As she stirred th sugar into her coffee, she realized that it was Halloween that day. There weren't going to be any classes that day, which was possibly an amazing thing. If everything went to plan, she wasn't going outside of her quarters until the feast. And knowing Severus, he was probably going to spend the day brewing potions for the infermary.

Then again, this was also the perfect day to catch up on some reading. Irma never minded when Alice came into the library, knowing full well that Alice is just as protective of books as her. There was a time, a few years back, that she had nearly hexed Severus for trying to send her books back to their quaters. It had missed him by a few inches, but Alice did yell "JUST TRY IT! I DARE YOU!"

Most everyone had figured that she had been at a really important part of her book, or something like that. It did also scare a few of the older kids who had came into the Great Hall first.

Quickly, Alice slipped into some jeans and a black shirt before grabbing her current reading stack and slipping out. Of course the coridors on the way to the library were bustling with students enjoying their free time, but no one seemed to notice where she was headed this early in the morning. Which was a good thing, she needed some peace right now. No students, no Gilderoy, and no voices.

Finding Irma was easy, the woman watched her library like a hawk so, she wasn't exactly surprised when Alice came in.

"I'm hiding in here. If Severus or anyone else asks, I'm, anywhere but here," Alice commented as she walked by, "And I don't care if I miss the feast,"

Irma snickered lightly at that.

As Alice walked through the many shelves in the library, she finally found a secluded place next to the restricted section. Most students wouldn't really notice the spot on first glance, or even a second. It was right in the corners of the stone wall and wooden wall of a bookshelf.

FInding nobody there, she plopped herself into the chair in the corner and cracked open a book.

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It was hours later, when the feast was about to start, that Severus came and found Alice himself. He knew Alice and Irma liked each other, so he waited until the librarian had left for the feast before going in. It didn't take too long to find her, knowing that she would be in one of the lesser used corners of the library.

Once he found her, he saw that she was nose deep in a book. While she was nearly finished, Severus had without a doubt in his mind that she hadn't eaten lunch today, and breakfast was most likely a cup of coffee. "Silently staring at me, won't make me get up Severus. You know that," Alice remarked calmly.

"True, a levitation spell could," he countered.

"Do it, and you're sleeping on the couch for the next two weeks,"

The pair had a stare down before Alice finally relented. She gathered up her books and the pair went down to the feast together.

As usual, the feast was amazing, but it was after the feast that things got interesting. One of the ghosts came up to the teachers as they were about to head to their own quarters. The students were all crowded around Moaning Myrtle's bathroom where appearently, Mr Filch's cat was hung by her tail.

Once they got there, that scene was true, along with Draco throwing some taunt about "mudbloods" but either Severus didn't hear it or he ignored it for the moment. Alice stared at the cat with fasination. This was new, even by Hogwarts standards. It was until Lockhart strted talking that Alice placed a hand over her wand. He began rambling about how he could fix her and how he knew the countercurse. Dumbledore told everyone to return to their dormotories, except the Golden Trio, while he wanted to inspect Mrs. Norris. Lockhart offered up his office since it was closest.

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**AN: Not dead! I'll try to update a bit more now that school started and I can write chapters in class. Sorry it's short!**


	7. Chapter 7

Naturally, filch was distraught over Mrs. Norris being petrified. He cleaned the wall that she was hung from as well as he could and usually guarding the place,scarring students off in the process. It was understandable if you were a pet lover, and also a little creepy since it was Flich.

Of course everyone thought it was Harry who opened the Chamber of Secrets. Then again, Draco probabaly helped nothing, while rumors and news spread like wildfire in Hogwarts. Alice had heard that a Hufflepuff was a bit nervous about being around Harry in one of her Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw classes. It was nonsense gossip of course. There was no was Potter could be the Heir of Slytherin. Not with James' family line.

The other thing that was going around, was the story behind the Chamber of Secrets. From what Alice heard from Irma, every copy of _Hogwarts: A History _was checked out. That was odd, but they could guess why. Silently, Alice was glad Severus had his own copy in their quarters. Most of the nonfiction books were Severus' because Alice hated reading nonfiction and her few nonfiction books were either about mobsters or Jack The RIpper. If it wasn't some form of horror or fantasy, it probably wasn't hers.

Gryffindor and Slytherin had a Quidditch match that rolled around fairly quickly. For once, Alice was not dragged along, she went to see who one the bet between Severus and Minerva.

Almost at the start of the game, things get strange. A bludger aimed straight for Harry, almost knocking him off his broom. Thankfully, Fred and George were on the scene, hitting it away from Harry. it ws during a timeout that he told them he could handle his own. The result of that was his arm breaking. Lockhart was on the scene within moments, claiming that he could mend Harry's arm, much to his protest. It ended up having no bones at all.

At the end of the day, Alice was unable to sleep, unlike her husband who was almost like clockwork during the school year. She could've read in bed, but Severus would eventually tell her to go to bed or something. Right now, she needed to not think. Something was happening at Hogwarts.

Flopping back on the couch, legs dangling over the arm in her favorite fluffy pajamas. That wass one benefit of living in the dungeons. Fluffy pajama bottoms and tank tops whenever because she didn't mind the cold. She was able to bury her nose into her latest book _Casino Royale _by Ian Flemming. Towards the end of the book, while the fire was dying down to a soft glow, making it slightly harder to read, she heard it again. The whispers that shouldn't have been there.

Alice jerked up quickly with a gasp. it didn't register that she stopped reading, she was too focused on listening. She really was losing her mind, because there was no way she heard those whispers, or she had simply been reading too much.

**AN: Okay! so very short but I know where I'm going from here. I've had the biggest writer's block with only this story. Started a whole Dragonball Z story that I've got almost 9 chapters of. So, hopefully this will pick back up and sorry for being so long.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: So, really quick before you guys read this. I came up with this years ago and this idea even later. When I did come up with it, I had Alice's actual family created, not based off my own, so when I explain it later, it might sound weird. I mostly used it for a plot device. Thanks!**

The next morning, the first thing on Alice's mind was coffee. It was the only thing that was going to keep her going. She would be alright for the most part, but her brain wasn't quite up this morning. Thankfully, today she had one morning class, giving her some room to enjoy a cup or two.

Severus was already dressed and ready for his morning classes. "A student has been petrified," he commented as his billowed into the kitchen. Alice swallowed her drink of coffee quickly, choking out a, "What?"

"You heard me. It was one of the Gryffindors. Albus wants to hold an emergency staff meeting,"

"Wrong 'what', smart one. When did you talk to Albus?"

"He just used the floo, the meeting is this morning,"

Alice cursed under her breath, slamming her palm on the table. She got up to get dressed, grumbling the whole way. Couldn't a woman enjoy a couple cups of coffee on a weekday? Appearently not with this job. The next 5 years could not end quickly enough.

Pulling on her boots, Alice went back out in the kitchen and made herself another cup of coffee. She was taking it with her, and if needed, she would throw the cup at Lockhart. Well maybe not, he wasn't worth the energy.

Placing a spell to keep it from spilling, Alice and Severus made their way towards the staff room. Once they got there, the other house heads were already there with Irma Pince and Rolanda Hooch. "So, what happened this time?" Alice asked Minerva.

"Albus found Collin Creevey on the stairs last night, probably trying to visit Potter. He was petrified with his camera up to his face, whoever it was managed to melt the film," Minerva explained.

"Okay, so what's the point of this?"

"To come up with ways to protect the students," Albus said loudly enough for the room to hear as he walked into the room. Everyone sat around the room, carefully coming up with ideas to protect the students now and if this got worse. There were a bunch of precautions that would be made if it were to get worse, but one thing was decided on that would happen as soon as possible, a Dueling Club would form.

There was much debate over who should lead it, Filus of course was a major choice, but unfortunately Gilderoy was chosen for the job. There was also a bit of a debate over who should be his partner for the club. it was short since Alice willingly voluntered to do it.

It was also decided that they would hold off on announcing the club for now. It could all be arranged and organized first. That took nearly a month to do. They had to find a place to hold it, who could go, when to do it, and how many meetings would happen.

Finally a month later, the first meeting happened. A Stage was setup, decorated with moons and stars, and the students gathered around excitedly. Many of them were talking excitedly about who would be teaching.

Silently, both Alice and Severus sat against the wall, waiting for Gilderoy to get the show on the road. Severus simply came to watch Gilderoy make a fool of himself, but many students were talking about his presence.

"Gather around, Gather around," Gilderoy called out to the crowd, "Can everyone hear me? Can you hear me? Excellent! Proffessor Dumbledore has given me permission to start this littl dueling club, to train you all up, in case you ever need to defend yourselves. As I, myself, have done on countless occasions. See my published works for full details,"

"Utter nonsense," Severus muttered, causing Alice to snicker.

"Allow me to introduce my lovely assistant, Professor Sage!" Lockhart announced, dramatically, "She has willingly agreed to help me with this little demonstration,"

The pair faced each other, Lockhart did some half twirly thing with his hands, half bowed, and Alice bowed with a smirk that could kill. They jerked up quickly, wands raised. Lockhart explained that they were both accepting battle, and on the count of three they would both cast nonharmful spells. At least he would, Alice wanted to know him backwards. A little violence never hurt anything, except the person it was used on.

Lockhart counted, "One, two, three-"

"Expelliarmus!" Alice shouted, sending a beautiful scarlet light his direction Once it hit, he went flying against the wall, but not hard enough to knock him out cold. The Slytherins cheered, she was Snape's wife after all, while a few of the male students were laughing.

Lockhart was flustered when he got up, blubbering about how it would be too easy to stop her and how he thought it would be perfect to show them what something like that looked like. The looks from both Alice and Severus were enough to shut him up, and have everyone split into pairs.

Once they were all seperated into pairs, which resulted in chaos. It was only after they put a stop to it, a pair would duel for example. Harry and Draco were chosen, a fight that should have happened back in first year, according to the grapevine of Hogwarts. Lockhart counted once more, "Three, two, one!"

Draco's fired first, "Serpensortia!"

A large snake shot out of Draco's wand, causing Alice to stiffen slightly. "Don't move Potter, I'll get rid of it for you," Severus said lazily, before Lockhart cut in.

"Allow me, Professor Snape!" he shouted before sending it flying into the air, only to piss it off even further. It was slithering towards a student, one of the Hufflepuffs. Before anyone could do anything, Harry began hissing at the snake, causing it to slump to the floor. He was a parslemouth, and Alice knew exactly what he was saying. A family secret the Sage's had managed to keep for years, Severus didn't even know she could speak it.

Alice knew she was about to throw up. "Take over, I'm going to be sick," Alice muttered quickly, before rushing out of the Great Hall, just as Severus got rid of the snake, and Harry was lead out by his friends.

**(Does anyone want to see if I can fit in Alice's actual family?)**


	9. Chapter 9

Slamming the door open, Alice rushed into the first open stall of the restroom she was in. Landing on her knees, she bent over the toilet and emptied her stomach of its contents. Thankfully there wasn't much. Lunch had been fairly light earlier.

Slowly standing, she made her way over to the sink to clean up a bit. She knew Severus would tell her to go to Poppy if he saw how pale her face was. It was nothing that couldn't be fixed but first she had to find Harry because the boy is a parselmouth, and that shouldn't be genetically possible.

Alice rushed out of the bathroom, quickly using a point-me spell to find the Golden Trio. They were not far, just the next floor up, in the hallway. There was a secret passage right by where she was that would lead them right to that hall, and if she had her mental map right, another close to her office.

They had just barely passed by the entryway when Alice got to the top of the stairs. "Potter!" she snapped, causing the trio to whip around. "In my office, now," she ordered, "You two can come with,"

Once they were inside, Alice put at least three silencing spells around the room. She would not risk letting anyone else find out what she was about to tell them. "What is said in this room does not leave it. Understood?" She asked firmly. The Trio shook their heads in response, allowing Alice to ask, "Harry, how in the HELL can you speak parseltounge?"

"Parsel- What?" Harry asked.

"Parseltounge- Snake language," Ron butted in.

"I spoke another language?"

"Yeah, and it looked like you were edging the snake on,"

"I wasn't, i swear,"

"If I hadn't heard it myself, I would be a bit suspicious. But he was telling it to get back," Alice responded, ready to admit she was a parselmouth herself.

"You heard me?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I understood it perfectly. My mother's mother side of the family came from England years ago. They're Slytherin decendants, that split off generations ago, back when America was still being founded," Alice, "You have to understand though, this does not get back to my husband. I have at least three different silencing spells on this room so no one finds out,"

The Trio stared silently, shocked that she would admit this to them. Alice felt a little bad that she never told Severus this, but it was a family secret that not all of the in laws or cousins knew, yet anyways. So far, almost everyone was under some sort of swear or other to keep it hidden. It would've come out sooner or later, to somebody, she only hoped Seerus would understand.

"Are you going to tell Professor Snape?" Hermione asked.

"Sooner or later. Harry, how long have you known about being able to speak to snakes?" Alice asked.

"Not long," he responded, "I mean, I accidently set a snake on my cousin Dudley once. But I thought it was normal,"

"Unfortunately, no. Parseltounges are usually seen as dark wizards,"

Alice said nothing about the voices just yet. There was something in the back of her mind that was hoping that the voice was really her going crazy. The chamber may have been opened again, but she whatever she was hearing was (hopefully) not the monster. There was nothing off the top of her head that could petrify someone and was not totally gigantic. Someone who was not petrfied would have seen it by now. RIght?

"If anything else happens, let me know. This goes for all three of you," Alice told them, unsure if they would actually do it. There were too many factors, the fact that she was a Slytherin and Snape's wife, she was a teacher, or even that she knew the Malfoy's well.

She sent them back to their dormitory, knowing that Severus was eiher looking for her, or waiting in their quarters with a potion that would settle her stomach. Once the Trio was gone, she took off all three spells on her classoom. Instead, she moved into her office, wanting to be some place where she could think.

Sitting at her desk, Alice put her head in her hands, a small headache forming. Why was Harry not like his father? It might have been a bit easier if he were. A few pranks here and there, Severus ranting and raving every now and then, and maybe a few simple detentions. In this moment, that seemed like a very good idea, but she knew that Harry was his own person, and that it would be strange if he was anything like James.

She would get through these next few years at Hogwarts, even if it killed her. She promised Severus she would stand by him when she married him, and after she came out of her coma. Her coma. Alice could not remember almost anything about it. In fact, there was a large blank spot in her memories of her fifth year and spotty memories before that. Barely anything that wasn't family related. She thought it was normal, humans forgot things all the time, what they ate a few days ago, what they went into a certain room for, even memories from when they were very little.

All Alice had to do these next few years was think of them as adventures. She had always wanted adventures, she knew they would have difficulties, but she could get through them. She knew she could.

Deciding she would be alright, Alice stood, with her mind made up that Severus would not find out her secret until necessary. She made her way back down the dungeons and to their quarters without any troubles. Severus did not seem to be anywhere in them, so Alice simply decided to take a shower. Knowing her husband, he was probably in his lab brewing something, or the headmaster might have called him. Hopefully it was the latter, it would give her more time to think.

She took her time in the shower, washing through her hair thoroughly, Alice regained her thoughts, and calmed down. Totally unaware that Severus came back from his own office, where he had been trying to grade papers.

As Alice stepped out of the shower, dried off with a towel and wrapped it around herself, she heard the voice again. Clearer this time, "_Rip, tear, kill!_"

Thinking she was still alone, she tried talking back to it. To her, it sounded like english, simply asking if anyone was there. She ran a hand over her damp hair, almost convinced she was simply hearing her own mind when the next thing she heard was Severus almost shouting, "YOU'RE A PARSELTOUNGE?"

**AN: Sorry! This should have been up last Wednesday, but my musical got in the way. Enjoy!**


	10. Chapter 10

Alice's head whipped towards her husband, hair slapping her skin. Out of all the things that could have happened today, Severus had to find out her only secret. Sighing, Alice nodded slowly.

"Why did you never tell me?" he asked.

"Severus, I'm not talking about this while standing in a towel," Alice told him firmly. She knew he was about to unleash a torent of questions, ones that she really did not have any desire to answer, but now he knew. Severus realized almost the entire situation, and why she would want to get dressed first. "I'll be in the living room," he muttered.

Alice ran her hands over her face as he left. Why today? Why not when this could actually be useful? Probably because something thought this was a good time to let out secrets that could have waited if they got their thoughts together.

Shaking her head, she went and changed into pajamas, using a drying spell on her hair in the process. She really had no desire to tell Severus that her family could speak to snakes, or tell her family that her husband knew their secret. Then again, the latter was less threatening since some of the married in members knew of it as well.

Pulling her shirt down, Alice walked into the living room, deciding that it was a now or never thing. Sitting on the opposite side of the couch, she saw that Severus was patiently waiting for an explanation. That was exactly what she did, while he sat quietly and listened. When she was finished, Severus processed the information for a minute.

"Well, this explains why you ran out of the Dueling Club," Severus sighed, "but what are we going to do about this?"

"Do about this?" Alice asked, "There is nothing to do about this, except tell no one else. I told Potter and his friends earlier, but that is it.,"

"You told Potter?"

"Why not? He speaks it too. I'm more concerned about Albus finding out, this is one thing he doesn't need to know,"

"Why not?"

"Too many people know already, Severus. And right now is not the best time for anyone to know, considering what's been happening to the school. Somebody will have the Ministry all over the school and I'll be a prime suspect. This stays secret,"

"What about when the Dark Lord returns?"

"What about him? He isn't going to find out either, not unless it necessary. I don't plan on being a Death Eater unless it's the only choice,"

Severus said nothing, his thoughts turning towards the Dark Lord, and what might happen. Alice could take care of herself, but he was unpredictable. When he came back, everything would be in danger. There was no telling what he would do.

All too soon, the holidays came and passed, along with both Severus and Alice's birthday. Soon enough, it was Valentine's Day. A day that became worse than it already was, thanks to Lockhart.

A color Alice had never been fond of, she never wore and did not ever use. So, when she walked into the Great Hall, to find it covered in pink, she had to cover a scream. She hated pink, and hated the holiday even more. Then she found out who was the cause of this horror. It took everything in her to not repeatedly hex him in front of the entire school.

The Dwarves he organized to deliver valentine's helped nothing. They flew into classrooms, in the middle of class just to deliver, stopped students in the halls which made them late to class. It was all a day of chaos that needed to end. It really didn't help that she got a few Dwarves of her own from Lockhart himself. If there was ever a day she wanted to hex a man, or have Severus do it, it was today. Or slip the man a poison, whichever was easier.

By the end of the day, Alice wanted nothing to do with almost anything. She flopped on the couch, ready to sleep right there, if Severus had not walked in right then. Kicking her shoes off, Alice curled into a ball. "Your present is on the bed," she mumbled, closing her eyes.

"I thought you hated Valentine's day," Severus commented.

"I do, but it doesn't mean I can't give you stuff on it,"

Severus shook his head at her, knowing that if he said anything about it, it would turn into another reason to give him stuff. Alice simply got a few potions ingredients that were a but harder to obtain than most. Of course, Severus occasionally made up excuses to give her things too. Nothing fancy, she didn't want fancy. He knew he could get her a simple book and she could not be happier even if you used a powerful cheering charm on her. Which is why he discreetly left a book on the table with a bow on it.

**AN: So, last chapter for 2015 (where I am). And I'm close to being finished with the second book, which means I can move onto Prisoner of Azkaban. I'm excited! The next one will be longer, but for now I shall leave you all with some fluff. **


	11. Chapter 11

The day Alice heard the voice again, she broke her good coffee cup. It came back on a lazy day, right before the Hufflepuff and Gryfindor match. It was strange to hear it in the morning, it always came at night. It was night when it attacked, Mrs. Norris, Colin Creevey, and sometime back when Justin Finch-Fletchy and Nearly Headless Nick. Who was going to be attacked today?

Using both a cleaning spell and a repairing spell on the mess, Alice tried to calm down. She just dropped a cup, not even fully awake and totally unable to convince herself that she did not hear that voice. Someone would be attacked today, and things were about to become interesting for the school, or very bad.

Deciding it would not do any good to sit around and wait for it to happen, Alice decided to try and ger her mind off it. She got up and got dressed, planning to go watch the game, or try to at least. It was better than staying in the castle and waiting for bad news. Just as she pulled on her boots, Severus came into the room, "Two more students have been attacked,"

Alice was on her feet in an instant, asking "Who was it,"

"Granger and Penelope Clearwater,"

"Shit. Now what's going to happen?"

"I am not sure. There's been more rules put in place but unless someone is caught the school may be shut down,"

Alice sat back down, rubbing her forehead. There was no doubt that the Ministry would hear about this now. There were honestly no possible suspects but they would find someone, even if they were wrong. Lucius Malfoy was probably rounding up the school governors to have Dumbledore sacked as they spoke. Draco probably helped his father through the mail.

The school was all but dead that day. The students were told to stay in their dormitories, plus there was a new curfew in place. All students were to be in their common rooms by 6 at night, and all teachers were to escort students to and from classes.

As tedious as it would be, it was probably the only way the teachers would be sure that they were safe around them, at least to some degree. The wizarding world could be very unpredictable.

It shouldn't have been a huge surprise that later that same evening, Lucius came thought their floo. But when someone like Alice buries herself in a horror novel, it would be a bit natural to yell at a floating green head in the fireplace before telling him to either go through or be yanked through by the hair.

"Must you yell at everything that scares you?" Severus asked, walking into the living room.

"That, or shoot something at it," Alice replied, placing her bookmark in its place, "What are you doing here, Lucius?"

Lucius seemed just a bit too smug with his answer, "I've come to suspend Dumbledore of his current position. There's been far too many attacks here,"

"You think he'll stay away long?"

"One can hope, and cause a few things to happen,"

"Crafty bastard. I'll laugh when your plans go down the drain, the old man could have been a Slytherin as well,"

Lucius glared lightly at Alice before asking Severus where the Headmaster was. The two spoke for a minute before Lucius left to find Dumbledore. Alice had a feeling that taking Dumbledore out of Hogwarts was only going to cause something worse to happen. Taking out one of the stupidest choices that could be made. It was like firing bird pellets out of a handgun. It would make a lot of noise, but it wouldn't really hurt much.

Once spring rolled around, things started to look up. The mandrakes were getting closer and closer to being ready to be turned into potion ingredients. They were closer to finding out who or what was attacking people. Unfortunately, Dumbledore was still not back at the school, which could be either a good or a bad thing.

Everyone stayed busy for the most part, with the exams coming up quick, and the new rules still in place. Teachers were making exams, students were studying, and things were somewhat calm. Until the day Ginny Weasley was taken.

**AN: Short, I know, but I'll update soon since I've got a study hall and not much to do. Hope you enjoyed!**


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